Eric and Margaret Anderson will think twice before hiring a local, independent contractor again.
The Peachland seniors were seemingly duped and left with poorly finished floors, after a long-time acquaintance was hired to redo the flooring of their entire one-bedroom mobile home.
Eric met Tony Causton at a local pub they both frequented a handful of years ago. Needing a contractor for their floor and having seen photos of some of Causton’s alleged work, the Andersons agreed to hire him and support a local, independent contractor.
The quote for the flooring was first requested by the Andersons on Sept. 1, 2022, and they received what they saw as a fair estimate later that month. In text messages between Eric and Causton obtained by Black Press Media, Causton agreed to order the flooring material after a deposit had been paid.
The Andersons followed through with the deposit on Sept. 22, 2022, but it wasn’t until Dec. 5 that Eric finally received a message saying the ordered materials would be in soon.
“He said he was getting it from Ontario,” Margaret said. “And, he was getting top-of-the-line flooring for a good deal.”
Eric noted that they aren’t sure that is true anymore and have suspected it was leftover pieces from a different project.
It was then the excuses started. On Dec. 20, Causton said he would be there to do some work the following day. The next morning he texted Eric to say he’s going to let the deep freeze pass, plus he was having troubles at his mother’s house.
In January 2023, the first reason Causton had for not doing the work was that he needed to be at his mom’s house to meet the plumber and would not be coming by. The following day was the same reason for not stopping in to work on the floors. In this same month, Causton had agreed to refinish the counters in the kitchen with another deposit which the Andersons paid in cash.
“He came and asked if he could have a $1,000 draw on what was owed to him,” Eric commented, saying he replied with, “‘I’ve just got the other cheque here, I’ll give it to ya.
“I totally trusted the guy… I knew him from just after work I’d see him in the pub once in a while and I got to know that he was a contractor… The only reason I got him was because I knew him.”
Then again in February 2023, Causton claimed the water was out at his mom’s and he didn’t have the time, followed days later by dealing with logging companies for tree cutting on her property. By March 2023, Causton claimed his mother was in the hospital following a stroke. Then on March 24, Causton sent the last piece of communication to Eric in the form of a text saying he would call. The Andersons haven’t heard from him since.
At some point early on in the excuses, Causton did come by to put in new laminate flooring in the living room. The project was not properly done and the new floor is complete with cracks between the boards and pieces lifting, and the sticky strip that connects pieces of the floor together were left exposed in places to collect dirt.
“People I knew from the same pub knew him also and there was never a bad word said about him,” Eric said. The couple is now out about $5,600 with floors no better than they were before.
The Andersons have not taken any legal action at this time, but Kelowna RCMP have been made aware of the matter. Eric said the point of talking about what happened, is more about awareness for others.
“I’d like to make sure he doesn’t do this to anyone else. And if I could get the flooring done or partially done, that would be a plus.”
A GoFundMe has been started by a friend of the Andersons and has earned $1,000 to help the couple get the floors finished. Several people on Facebook have offered to do the work if someone can purchase new materials.
Black Press has taken extensive efforts to contact Causton, including phone calls, emails, contacting a former employer, and direct messaging social media pages believed to be his. Causton has not returned any of Black Press’ requests for comments as of the time of publishing.
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@thebrittwebster
brittany.webster@blackpress.ca
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